Random case assignment is a hallmark of the federal justice system. Judges can’t shop for cases they like and shunt aside the ones they don’t. Otherwise, Medicare cases would never be heard.

But in recent years, there have been efforts to remove some of the randomness from the equation, in the name of efficiency. A pilot program authorized by Congress allows certain judges to acquire patent cases from their colleagues. And a practice (now formalized) in the U.S. district courts in Manhattan and Brooklyn permit judges to grab “related cases.”

So, for instance, after U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan was randomly assigned the stop-and-frisk case Daniels v. City of New York in 1999, her court became the home for similar lawsuits over the next 14 years. Read More »

Bankruptcy and other court fees, it turns out, may have helped the U.S. Supreme Court open its 2013-2014 term on Monday even though a partial government shutdown has shuttered federal operations across the nation’s capital.

The high court kicked off the new term with a pair of oral arguments, a crowd of spectators and a full court staff on hand. Life at the high court, at least by outward appearances, appeared much the same as ever.

The jury for the “hustle” case against Bank of America Corp. was thrust into the spotlight Friday after one member said lawyers for the defense had done research on him via social-media websites, a possible violation of pre-trial rules, writes WSJ’s Shayndi Raice.

The juror claimed lawyers at the firm Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, representing former Countrywide executive Rebecca Mairone, had looked at his profile on LinkedIn.

Judge Jed Rakoff of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said the lawyers in effect . . . . . Read More »

A group that represents lawyers who practice in federal courts in New York and Connecticut said planned budget cuts could jeopardize the security and the functioning of the U.S. justice system.

In a letter to President Obama and members of Congress dated Thursday, the Federal Bar Council warned of dire consequences if automatic, across-the-board spending cuts, known as sequestration, persist into fiscal 2014, which begins in October.

The Federal Bar Council said the cuts could force layoffs, which in turn could force courthouses in Manhattan and Brooklyn to close early, delay the posting of potentially financial market-moving court filings and threaten the defense of indigent defendants.

Programmer Sergey Aleynikov took code with him when he left Goldman Sachs for a new trading firm.

A lawyer for a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. programmer charged with stealing secret computer code made another push to have the case dismissed and key evidence barred from the record.

Federal authorities had no probable cause to arrest Sergey Aleynikov in 2009 the first place, and Mr. Aleynikov’s acknowledgement in custody that he had uploaded software code from Goldman should be thrown out, attorney Kevin Marino said in a lengthy string of legal arguments Friday.

“Suppress all this evidence and dismiss this indictment as a product of that unlawful arrest,” Mr. Marino said to New York State Supreme Court Justice Ronald Zweibel, who is overseeing a new trial for the programmer on state charges.

State prosecutors said in court Friday that they believed there. . . . . Read More »

Seeking an extension of a protection order against his estranged wife, an elderly Illinois man needed to show up to court and testify. The problem was that he had suffered a stroke and felt too weak to get out of bed. But he was able to testify anyway — thanks to Skype and an iPad.

Emil Kogan, according to his attorney, answered questions from his bedroom by talking into his laptop. On the other end of the video call was his attorney, who brought her iPad into the courtroom so the judge and the other lawyer could see him.

There were some technical glitches. It took a while for Mr. Kogan, who was assisted by another former wife, to lower the lid of his laptop and get the camera to focus on his face — not the wall above his head. “They didn’t quite know how the camera worked,” his attorney, Marie Fahnert, told Law Blog.

Court officials say they could not recall another instance …. Read More »

A federal judge sounded the alarm Tuesday over across-the-board cuts that will take effect in 2013 if Congress fails to reach a deal on reducing the deficit.

“The courts could lose more than one-fourth of their workforce, civil trials could be suspended for months, funds to pay panel attorneys who represent indigent defendants would expire well before the end of the fiscal year, and court security could be severely compromised,” said Judge Julia Gibbons, in remarks to the federal judiciary’s policy-making body.

The judiciary has been funded at about the same level for the past three years. Judge Gibbons, who chairs the Judicial Conference’s budget committee, said the courts have reduced their staffing levels by about 5%. . . Read More »

We wrote yesterday about a key figure in the government’s sweeping muni-bond bid-rigging probe who asked a federal judge to postpone his trial, fearing he would miss his wife’s final months of life. CDR Financial Products founder David Rubin, whose trial is set to begin in January and expected to last at least two months, said his wife of 26 years, Gail, has terminal cancer and her “death is imminent.”

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in the Southern District of New York denied the request in an order Friday. ”Too many individuals and institutions have expended far too much to ready this trial after several adjournments,” Marrero wrote.

“I would like to express my heartfelt sympathy to Mr. Rubin and his family; however, one party’s personal needs cannot halt the administration of justice in this matter and all others before the court,” he added. . . Read More »

Those who have an interest in court records, e.g., us, have a lot to chew on today.

First, the bad news. PACER, the electronic system for accessing federal court filings, will soon become more expensive, charging 10 cents per page viewed online, as opposed to the current 8 cents. That two-cent delta can add up for those (like us) who have a healthy appetite for records.

Here is a statement released yesterday by the Judicial Conference of the United States, which approved the price increase. (Hat tip: Politico’s Under the Radar blog.)

The increase, which will not take effect for at least another six months, is needed to “support and improve” PACER, according to the Judicial Conference, which notes that the system “is funded entirely through user fees” and that it’s been six years since . . . Read More »

About Law Blog

The Law Blog covers the legal arena’s hot cases, emerging trends and big personalities. It’s brought to you by lead writer Jacob Gershman with contributions from across The Wall Street Journal’s staff. Jacob comes here after more than half a decade covering the bare-knuckle politics of New York State. His inside-the-room reporting left him steeped in legal and regulatory issues that continue to grab headlines.

A federal judge in Manhattan rejected a bid by the conservative advocacy group Citizens United to stop New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman from requiring that charities disclose to him their major donors.

Concerns about a gender gap in the legal profession tend to focus on issues like pay, billing rates and who makes partner. A new study by the American Bar Association looks inside the federal courtroom to see who's trying cases.